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Cranberry Glazed Ham

This Cranberry Glazed Ham recipe is brought to you by Minnesota Pork Board - did you know that Minnesota ranks 2nd in value and number of market pigs raised?!

A Christmas ham is such a perfect and beautiful main dish for the holidays. Not only is it a crowd pleaser, but spiraled hams are quite simple to make. Since spiral hams are already cooked, the main goal is to get the ham up to temperature all the way throughout, which is 145 degrees F. A delicious cranberry glaze and basting it in orange juice throughout the cooking process will ensure a tender, flavorful, and moist ham!

Cranberry Glazed Ham

There are a few methods of roasting a spiraled ham, and in this ham recipe, instead of a honey glazed ham or a brown sugar glazed ham, I use a homemade cranberry glaze and then baste the ham in orange juice every once in awhile. The cranberry glazed adds a sweetness along with some warm spices to the salty ham, and the orange juice keeps the meat moist throughout.

Ingredients in Cranberry Glazed Ham

Fresh Cranberries

Sugar

Orange Zest

Orange Juice

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Allspice

Cloves

Spiral Ham

Cranberry Glazed Ham

How to Make Glaze for Ham

The ingredients are not many and very simple. You start by making the homemade cranberry glaze, which comes together within 15 minutes. You simply combine the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, water, orange juice, and spices in a small pot and simmer until the cranberries have popped open and you have a thickened sauce. It is such an easy ham glaze!

You take the cranberry glaze and brush or spread it all over the spiral ham. Then add orange juice to the bottom of your roasting pan, cover with foil, and roast for about 2 hours at 325 degrees F. Super easy!

Cranberry Glazed Ham

What to Serve with Cranberry Glazed Ham:

Leek and Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes

Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts

Honey and Rosemary Roasted Carrots

Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole

Cauliflower Broccoli Gratin from The Cookie Rookie

Cranberry Glazed Ham

Cranberry Glazed Ham

A sweet and smoky recipe for delicious holiday ham!
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 1228kcal

Ingredients

Cranberry Glaze:

  • 16 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest from 1 orange
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • tsp ground allspice

For the Ham:

  • 8-10 lb spiral ham
  • 1 cup orange juice, plus additional for basting

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, water, orange juice, and spices.
  • Cook over medium heat until the cranberries have popped, stirring often.
  • Let cool for at least 30 minutes. This can also be prepared in advance.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Place the ham in a roasting pan.
  • Brush the ham wiht the cranberry sauce glaze. If it has thickened from making it in advance, just stir it up with a fork to make it more spreadable.
  • Pour the orange juice into the base of the roasting pan.
  • Cover the ham with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours, basting with additional orange juice every 30 minutes, until the ham is cooked through to 145 degrees.
  • Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 1228kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 98g | Fat: 76g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Cholesterol: 281mg | Sodium: 5387mg | Potassium: 1354mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 4mg
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Recipe Rating




  1. 5 stars
    I do adore sweet-and-sour sauce and glaze for main courses! Cranberry, lingonberry, and cloudberry are perfect for that purpose. I made this cranberry glazed ham for Christmas, and it was amazing! It's perfect as a separate dish, probably garnished with mashed potatoes with cream cheese and garlic (I made this garnish in a slow cooker at Christmas, and it was nice). By the way, we put this ham on toast with cheddar and iceberg lettuce, and it was still nice on the second and the third day. So, I fell in love with this wonderful cranberry ham.
    By the way, northern berries are my enormous and endless love: it evokes the best memories of my childhood in the North of the country: I picked them in the woods with my grandparents. We baked tarts, preserved them, made jams or stewed fruits, and just ate them as they are, sprinkled with sugar. It was really lovely up there! Really miss those times. That's why I put them everywhere if I have some 😀
    Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Taylor!
    Your blog is cool, just keep it up. Happy New Year!